Syneches rafaeli Ale-Rocha & Vieira

(Figs 37A–E, 56)

Syneches rafaeli Ale-Rocha & Vieira, 2008: 119, figs 22–28, 39; Menezes & Ale-Rocha, 2016: 427, fig. 122 (key, distr.); Ale-Rocha, 2016: 204 (Ecuador); Soares & Ale-Rocha, 2018: 640, figs 13, 18 (NE Brazil). Type locality: Parque Nacional do Jaú, Amazonas, Brazil.

Diagnosis. Medium size (3.4 mm) (Fig. 37A). Antenna brown, but postpedicel entirely yellow or brown with yellow base (Fig. 38C); palpus yellow. Prosternum fused to proepisternum; scutum rounded, as broad as mesopleuron, covered with reddish brown pruinescence, except dc stripe and prescutellar disc with gray pruinescence (Fig. 37B). Hind femur slightly swollen (Fig. 37D); fore femur dark yellow to brown, coxae, trochanters, apex of hind femur, hind tibia usually with ring at mid-length and all tarsomeres 5 brown, otherwise yellow (Figs 37A, D). Wing sub-hyaline, pale brown; pterostigma short, rectangular, brown, located distal to apex of R 1; second section of M 1 2 x longer than crossvein r-m (Fig. 37E).

Type examined material. HOLOTYPE ♂ (INPA) labelled: “ BRASIL, Amazonas, Pq [Parque] N [Nacional do] Jaú, Rio Jaú, Igarapé Patauá, 01°53′16″S - 61°44′07″W, 23–28.vii.1995, varredura, J.A. Rafael & J.F. Vidal ” [red label] . Holotype condition: good; not dissected.

Additional examined material. BRAZIL. Pará: Belém, Para, IPEAN, 23.iii.1970, J.M. & B.A. Campbell (2 ♀, CNC). Maranhão: Carolina, PARNA Chapada das Mesas, Riacho Cancela, 225 m, 07°06′44.2″S 47°17′56.8″W, Armadilha de Malaise, 11–14.vi.2013, J.A. Rafael, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, J.T. Câmara & A.A. Santos (5 ♂, 5 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, 1–15.vii.2013, J.A. Rafael, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira & T.T.A. Silva cols. (2 ♂, CZMA); idem, 15– 31.vii.2013 (1 ♂, CZMA); idem, 1–10.viii.2013 (3 ♂, 2 ♀, CZMA); idem, 1–10.ix.2013 (2 ♂, 1 ♀, CZMA); idem, 1–. x.2013 (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CZMA); idem, 20–31.xii.2013 (1 ♀, CZMA); idem, Suspensa Lâmina d’água, 20–31.vii.2014, J.A. Rafael, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, T.L. Rocha & G.A. Reis, cols. (2 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, 1–10.viii.2014 (1 ♂, CZMA); idem, Riacho Sucuruiu, 240 m, 07°07′05.6″S 47°18′31.6″W, Armadilha de Malaise, 14–30.vi.2013 (2 ♂, 1 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, 1–10.viii.2013 (1 ♂, 6 ♀, CZMA); idem, 10–20.xii.2013 (1♀, CZMA); idem, Suspensa simples (5 m), 1–10.v.2014 (1 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, Armadilha malaise, 20-30.vi.2014 (1♂, CZMA) ; idem, 1–10.viii.2014 (1 ♂, CZMA); 10–20.viii.2014 (3 ♂, 1 ♀, CZMA); idem, Riacho Corrente, 288 m, 07°04′24.2″S 47°05′25.2″W, Suspensa simples (15 m), 20–30.iv.2014 (1 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, 10–20.vi.2014 (1 ♂, CZMA); Carolina, Perímetro Urbano, 07°19′40″S 47°27′14.5″W, Armadilha luminosa, 25–26.xii.2013, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, T.T.A. Silva & T. L. Rocha cols. (2 ♂, CZMA) ; idem, Rio Lages, 12.xii.2001, J.A. Rafael, F.L. Oliveira & J.A. Vidal, Arm. Malaise (1 ♀, CZMA) ; Mirador, Parque Est. Mirador, Base da Geraldina, 411 m, 06°37′06″S 45°51′51″W, Armadilha de Malaise, 02–12.viii.2013, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, L.L.M. Santos & L.S. Santos (4 ♂, 2 ♀, CZMA) ; idem, 01–15.ix.2013 (1 ♂, CZMA); idem, 15–30.ix.2013 (1 ♀, CZMA); idem, Base do Mosquito, Armadilha Luminosa, 04–08.ii.2011, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira (5 ♂, 1 ♀, CZMA) ; C.N. Maranhão, REBIO– Res. Biol. Gurupi, 03°14′05″S 46°41′83″W, Arm. Luminosa, 07–15.i.2011, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, M.M. Abreu & E.A.S. Barbosa (4 ♂, CZMA) ; idem, 03–07.v.2011 (1 ♂, CZMA); idem, Armadilha de Malaise, 01-06.iii.2011 (1 ♂, CZMA) ; idem, 05–15.vi.2010 (1 ♂, CZMA); Caxias, Inhamum, 04°54′39″S 43°25′16″W, 535 m, 17.v.2007, J.A. Rafael, F.F. Xavier F. & F.L. Oliveira, Luz (2 ♂, CZMA) ; idem, 19.v.2007 (1 ♂, CZMA); idem, 05–07.vi.2009, J.A. Silva & F. Limeira-de-Oliveira (1 ♀, CZMA); Riachão, Fazenda Altos, Armadilha Suspensa, 18–22.viii.2009, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira & M.B. Aguiar Neto (2 ♂, CZMA) . Bahia: Mata de São João, Reserva de Sapiranga, 22–25.vii.2001, Malaise, Trilha 6, M. Tavares & eq. col. (1 ♂, UFES) . Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto, São Bartolomeu, Sítio Vale das Borboletas, 20°17′35.85″S 43°34′04.6″W, 10–17.iii.2013, Malaise, Rio, P. Dias, R.C.C. Arautez (1 ♂, UFMG) ; Nova Lima (mata), 19°58′7.4″S 43°51′22.7″W, 12–26.iv.2015, Arm. Malaise, A.R. Lima col. (1 ♀, UFMG) . COLOMBIA. Caqueta: San José del Fragua, Vereda Bellavista, Finca Mi Ranchito, 1°18′23″ 76°00′33″, 265 m 1–15.ii.2017, Y. Ramos-Pastrana, Malaise, Bosque-dos sel, Sao José C 8 (1 ♂, INPA) ; idem, Bosque-suelo (1 ♂, INPA) .

Distribution. Brazil (Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia *, Ceará, Pará, Piauí, Maranhão, Minas Gerais *, Rondônia) (Fig. 56); Colombia *, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru and Venezuela. Syneches rafaeli is widely distributed in northern South America, recorded in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado biomes.

Variation. Postpedicel yellow only on basal third and remaining brown, differing from the holotype, which is fully yellow. The color of fore femur may vary from dark yellow to brown and the brown ring at mid-length of the hind tibia may be absent. The pterostigma may be narrow, limited to a stripe posterior to the apex of R 1.

Remarks. Syneches rafaeli differs from all the other Brazilian species of Syneches by the medium size with wide prosternum, hind femur only slightly swollen, yellow with brown apex and pterostigma short, rectangular, located distal to the apex of R 1. A male and female of this species were photographed in the State of Pará (Figs 1B, C), attracted by the light of a camp. In addition, several of the analyzed specimens were collected using light traps, demonstrating that both sexes are attracted to light.